How my definition of interaction has evolved is that the two or more objects involved in interaction have an effect on one another: not just that human takes an action on the object and it gives feedback. It should also involve the object impacting humansā physically and mentally. The object gives not only feedback but also triggers peopleās reflection, some fun or even provides convenience.
A project that aligns:
Volume ā Interactive cube of responsive mirrors that redirects light and sound
Description by the author: āVolumeā is an interactive cube of responsive mirrors that redirect light and sound to spatialize and reflect the excitement of surrounding festival goers (It is installed in a music festival). Using a weighted average of the various people being tracked the mirrors rotate to face the nearest person. Individually addressable LEDs along the sides of the mirrored panels respond to the ambient sound in the space around the installation.
My reason why: This project is the interaction between mirrors+lights and people+surroundings. Interaction: peopleās existence and the sound of surroundings <ā> the rotation of the mirrors and the light within the mirrors. People and the surroundings impact the installation, while the installation magnifies people’s sentiments in the setting.
A project that doesn’t align:
MULTIVERSE ā The eternal birth and death of infinite parallel universes
Description by the author: āāMultiverseā is an audio-visual installation that draws inspiration from the concept of the multiverse– a system composed of an infinite number of universes that coexist simultaneously outside of our space-time. Through the creation of a sequence of digital paintings, generated in real-time, attempts to represent the eternal birth and death of infinite parallel universes.
My reason why: Even though the audio-visual installation evokes the audienceās contemplation upon the universes or even outreaching anything that could be put into language, an inexpressible meditation, it is only a one-way causal effect. People in front of the screen could not make an impact on the installation, not to mention supposedly feedback from the object.
My new definition of interaction:
Interaction involves two or more objects, having effects on one another. It not only includes taking actions of one, giving feedback from the other but also triggers impact physically and mentally, arousing people’s reflection, offering some fun, providing convenience, etc. Although the project āMultiverseā by fuse and the “Infinity Mirrored Roomā by Yayoi Kusama arenāt two good examples for interactiveness, they both level the height of inspiring humanās contemplation. The meaning behind is profound. Those two projects help me evolve my definition of interaction. As for true interaction, āConnected Toolsā by Giulio Barresi and the project āVolumeā by Softlab provide food for thought that in what depth could interaction be: It could simply be pulling a string from a box to provide input and also see the output from the length of the string. It could also as complex as shifting 100 mirrorsā direction and LEDs, responding to peopleās existence and the surrounding sound.